Mark and Kathy Custead enjoyed a comfortable, middle-class lifestyle, but their financial obligations were considerable. So with their agent’s help, they completed a life insurance needs analysis, which showed that both needed to substantially increase their coverage. They each made life insurance purchases, something neither had done since their first child was born 17 years earlier. That spring, Mark was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died five weeks later. Proceeds from his insurance helped to pay funeral expenses, medical bills and credit card debt, and have allowed Kathy to set aside money for the kids’ college costs.